We live in a similar area. The cheapest milk is about $3.39 or .49 a gallon and it’s going up. There’s only one HEB grocery store here or there’s a Walmart in the next town. With no competion, they can charge what they want. Their brand selection has gone down and their produce looks like seconds these days. The other day, they had some fresh green beans that were old and very wrinkled. Many shelves are empty, especially sale items with the excuse of the truck didn’t deliver it. They’ve started some shady practices of not having advertized items or if there’s a current national coupon (the local paper never has carried coupons), they will take the product off the shelf. HEB has their own store brand but now have a more expensive “gourmet” brand which they’re putting on the shelves in place of their cheaper regular store brand. Complaining to HQ hasn’t helped.
Wow, that must be a common practice. I know, I know, the old bait and switch, but I have certainly notice how they are always out of the sale item, like they only had 5 to start with, lol. Luckily there is a store here that does offer rainchecks, they are a pretty good store, but lately they have been doing things like having cheese on sale, and then after the 2nd or third day (they run sales from wed. to tue.), they put up an ad retraction. That made me really mad after about the second time, because I have to drive about 10 miles to get to that store, which ads up if I have to go to another store because the sale isn’t as good as they advertised.
I too have noticed the decline in produce quality, not so much with things that can be grown locally, but with things like avocados, citrus, cilantro, etc (I live up north). I try and buy the best of the produce, but sometimes it’s all shabby, it seems.